


Assuming Something Makes You Wrong

by Para



Series: With Mercy [2]
Category: Girl Genius
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-26
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-05-09 12:19:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5539721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Para/pseuds/Para
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of perspective flips on various chapters from And With Mercy For The Evil.  Not in order.  Missing scenes may appear here as well, but none are planned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Assuming Something Makes You Wrong

**Author's Note:**

> Gil's POV on [Chapter 8](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4791704/chapters/12779315).
> 
> This was actually written simultaneously to Tarvek's POV, so any changes in emphasis or punctuation in speech or descriptions of expressions, tone and so on are intentional, to show different interpretations and focus.
> 
> A Klaus POV on chapter 5 is planned, but nothing else specific. If there's something you'd like to see, feel free to let me know and I'll see what I can do with it.

It had taken Gil three weeks to find out where Tarvek was, mostly because he couldn’t actually ask anyone without it getting back to the Baron. Once he did find out where he needed to go, it took another week to figure out a way to the correct prison ship without being noticed.

Most of the ship was dark when he arrived, and Gil decided it was subtler to take one of the infrared goggles the crew used to navigate the ship than to turn on lights. Spotting anyone who was stumbling in the dark or using visible light would be the point of keeping it dark, after all.

Tarvek’s cell wasn’t far in or individually guarded, which Gil hadn’t expected. If Tarvek was trying to be cooperative that would extend to not trying to escape, but Gil hadn’t expected the Baron to put any sort of trust in that. Maybe he just hadn’t deemed Tarvek dangerous enough for the bother….

The cells each had a control; a flat metal box the size of Gil’s palm, one side covered in switches. The switches controlled magnets; with the switches in the correct pattern and the control placed against the right section of the door, the door could be opened, closed, or reinforced, and the light could be turned off and on. Certain rooms had other abilities, but not Tarvek’s.

Gil wouldn’t have had any idea how to use it if the Baron hadn’t shown him months ago. Technically, the control wasn’t supposed to go into the room; it was supposed to be kept outside and therefore secret, but realistically knowing about it wouldn’t actually let Tarvek do anything. He had clothes and a bed with a wooden frame; nothing metal, and certainly no magnets. Most people would never have been able to guess how the control worked from seeing it used either, but Tarvek might be able to do that. Without anything he could make magnetic, it still wouldn’t help him.

Regardless, Gil didn’t have anyone else with him to let him out and the control _would_ work from the inside, so he took it with him. The door closed automatically, and since Tarvek didn’t say anything immediately, he rearranged the switches to turn the light on. As soon as they were on he dropped the control into a pocket, and rearranged the switches to the door open pattern with it hidden. Some risks were just stupid.

Tarvek was in the slightly too small bed, curled up the way he did after nightmares as a child. He was absolutely still, breathing slowly, and Gil might have been convinced if he hadn’t seen plenty of times how Tarvek would wake up if there was so much as a mimmoth moving in the next room over. “I know you don’t sleep that heavily, Sturmvoraus.”

Gil was right; Tarvek’s eyes snapped open, then squeezed shut again. He sat up, one hand covering his eyes, and frowning like he was thinking hard. Gil took the chance to push the infrared goggles up to his forehead.

Tarvek looked… like someone else. His hair was loose, slightly tangled and looked oily; his clothes were old, with worn patches, and didn’t quite fit. A pair of glasses with carved wooden frames were sitting on the floor next to the bed. Nothing else was in the room, and Tarvek and the bedsheets (also old, worn thin, and wrinkled) still managed to give an impression of neglect and messiness.

Gil swallowed, and reminded himself that Tarvek wasn’t his friend, Tarvek had known about his father hiding the Other’s technology and followers, and this wasn’t Gil’s problem to fix.

It would have been easier if Tarvek had said something arrogant and insulting like he did every time they met in Paris, instead of sitting there with his eyes covered and a worried expression.

Well, Gil needed to get back soon if he didn’t want to be caught here. If Tarvek wasn’t going to bait him with every other sentence, that would just make things faster. Of course, that required Tarvek to stop worrying about whatever he’d come up with and actually talk. “The light isn’t that bad and I don’t have much time. Get out of your head.”

Tarvek’s eyes snapped open, then narrowed. “Holzfäller.”

—er.

“…No….” Okay, Gil hadn’t expected to be dealing with that particular detail. He knew Tarvek was smart; how had he not realized that Gil was Gilgamesh yet? Maybe… if he’d… no, Gil couldn’t think of any possible explanation.

“Oh.” Tarvek seemed casual, almost disappointed. “You found out.”

Gil still had no idea what he was thinking. “Yes, it was rather hard to miss, with the announcement and all.” Not that that was _when_ he’d found out, but how could he not have at that point, if he hadn’t already known?

“ _Announcement_?” Tarvek yelped, eyes widening. “Who _did_ that?”

Had… had Tarvek died?

Gil hadn’t thought of it before, but—the Baron wouldn’t have told him, if he’d revived Tarvek, and he might have done it for the sake of information. It could explain why he didn’t seem to consider Tarvek a threat, if none of the Fifty Families would support him anymore, and why Tarvek apparently didn’t remember the announcement that the Baron had a son. He seemed unusually healthy for having been revived so recently, but maybe if it was a particularly easy one, with minimal time dead…. “Er… the Baron did.”

—and better question, actually. Tarvek apparently wasn’t surprised about who Gil was, but was surprised it had been announced. Which meant that he’d found out somehow—

(And hadn’t done anything with the knowledge, so far as Gil knew.)

But _how_ had he found out?

Tarvek looked furious for an instant before the expression was wiped away. He stood up, and Gil stepped back, but Tarvek only stood, brows pulled together as his mind visibly raced. “Is Sturmhalten still intact?”

“What?” Not that Gil _minded_ answering that, he couldn’t imagine why no one had told Tarvek already, but what did it have to do with—whatever Tarvek was thinking. “What does that—”

“Just answer!”

Well, fine, if Tarvek wanted to be like that. Gil folded his arms. “Might have a few new scratches and the governor probably rearranged the furniture, but yes, it’s fine.”

“Good.” Tarvek looked relieved, like he hadn’t even noticed that the Baron had assigned someone else to rule there. “Go there, Moxana was in one of my secret labs, I’m sure you can find it, if you haven’t heard a commotion about a Muse being discovered she probably still is. You need to… leave the continent, anyway, she can help you. Tell her I said to help you.”

Er.

What… what was Tarvek thinking? Muses and secret labs and escaping the continent—had he _forgotten_ that he was a prisoner? Did he think Gil was rescuing him? He was acting like Gil was in danger—which wasn’t wrong, really, but Gil hadn’t had to deal with nearly as many assassins as he’d expected, and they hadn’t been very difficult to handle. And why now? Why would Tarvek worry when Gil’s father had just taken over his city, and not when the announcement went out?

Unless… what if Tarvek had, somehow, not connected Gil and Gilgamesh?

Well. Wouldn’t _that_ be awkward. And it still wouldn’t explain why Tarvek thought Gil was in some sort of danger, but it might explain why he had to ask who made the announcement. Gil cleared his throat. “Er… Sturmvoraus… who, exactly, do you think I am?”

Tarvek folded his arms. “Teufel. You’re Teufel’s son.”

…Well now _that _explained a bit. And created whole new questions as to how Tarvek had reached that particular conclusion, but did explain why he thought Gil was in danger. And cared. “Ah. No. I’m not.”__

__…It was a shame Gil had to tell him that. Even as weird as the concern was._ _

__Tarvek was glaring. It was, at least, familiar; Tarvek had given Gil that particular glare lots of times in Paris. “That pig spark story was _absolute nonsense_ , you can’t possibly still believe it.”_ _

__“It was, but I’m still not Teufel’s son.” Gil hadn’t believed it… well, any longer than it had taken to get himself caught, really. And he knew Tarvek hadn’t, either._ _

__“Who else’s—” Tarvek glared before realization crossed his face, and he backed up, sunk down on the cot like he’d remembered he was a prisoner. “Wulfenbach.”_ _

__It wasn’t… a hateful tone, really. Mostly shocked. But even as a child Gil had known what Tarvek thought of the Baron._ _

__He didn’t want that opinion to spread to him, but—he couldn’t lie about it. Not anymore. And it wasn’t like Tarvek hadn’t had a terrible opinion of Gil anyway. He nodded._ _

__It took a moment for Tarvek to respond. All he said was, “I see.”_ _

__Gil couldn’t think of anything else he could have said that would have been an improvement._ _

__Tarvek stared absently into the air, and Gil let the silence last for another minute before deciding he’d wasted enough time already. “Tell me about Agatha.”_ _

__Tarvek scowled at him. “She’s much too good for _you_ , to start with. Leave her alone.”_ _

__“Says the man in prison for attempting to _replace her with the Other_ ,” Gil snapped. Honestly! He didn’t have a great reputation in Paris, but even if Tarvek believed the worst of it it didn’t come close to what he’d done. And _Agatha_ had seemed to like Gil, anyway, and they’d worked well together, even if everyone _else_ seemed convinced that they shouldn’t be together. That just meant everyone else was _wrong_._ _

__“I did _not_!” Tarvek leapt up, and Gil stepped back. He wasn’t really worried—it wasn’t like Tarvek could fight—but he’d moved much faster than Gil expected, and looked ready to strangle Gil himself. Instead, he visible stopped himself, and snarled. “My father and the geisterdamen did that! I tried to get her out!”_ _

__Honestly, Gil had no idea how Tarvek could consider himself manipulative. He was _far_ too easy to provoke for that. Gil hadn’t been expecting that _much_ of a reaction, though… but Tarvek _had_ stopped himself from actually attacking, so Gil was probably alright to stay. The worst that could happen would be that Tarvek would attack, and Gil would have to pin him down until someone came by to check and could let Gil out without Tarvek escaping too. Which was wildly unlikely; Tarvek might get angry, but he’d recognize and give up once he’d lost._ _

__“Your father was already dead,” Gil said. He’d gotten that much from the filtered-down reports his father had allowed him to read. “He didn’t do it.”_ _

__Tarvek sat back down, arms folded, still sullen and angry. “He started to. He recognized her in the theater.”_ _

__Gil could believe that much. “How?”_ _

__“Her voice. They sound the same, it’s how Lucrezia controls the revenants. They… responded, when she was acting, and he recognized the way she sounded. The harmonics analysis machines confirmed it.”_ _

__“Harmonic analysis machines? In a theater?” That Aaronev had had such machines wasn’t especially strange, but they were usually in a _lab_. And Gil had never heard of one powerful enough to single out and analyze a voice very far away._ _

__“He’s been searching for Lucrezia’s daughter for fifteen years.” Tarvek sounded annoyed. “There are voice analysis machines everywhere he could put them.”_ _

__So an obsession, then. That might explain why Tarvek was annoyed by it. He’d always gotten frustrated when anyone spent much time on something he didn’t think was useful._ _

__But he was at least starting to explain what had _happened_ in Sturmhalten, which was better than anyone else had done for Gil so far. He missed having Wooster around; the man would have been able to find out, Gil thought, and now that they didn’t need to pretend he wasn’t a spy Gil could have just asked him to, instead of the usual pretense of complaining about what he didn’t know and happening to find information on the subject where he would stumble into it soon afterwards._ _

__But Wooster had run off—not for _entirely_ irrational reasons, Gil _had_ tried to scare him after all—and vanished entirely as far as Gil was aware. So Tarvek was as good as Gil was going to get. “So what happened when he recognized her?”_ _

__“He invited her to dinner.” At least Tarvek was explaining things. “Her drink had a truth poison, and he—”_ _

__“ _Poison_?” Tarvek had let Agatha be _poisoned_? With… truth, apparently, which was strange, but everyone involved was a spark. Poison was never good, regardless._ _

__“Truth _serum_ , then, if you want to be pretty about it,” Tarvek snapped, and Gil relaxed. Why hadn’t Tarvek just called it what everyone else would have from the start, ugh. There wasn’t any need to scare Gil like that, unless Tarvek just really wanted to be punched in the face or something. “It didn’t _hurt_ her. It made her start babbling and stop worrying. It’s not much different from being drunk.”_ _

__Except that being drunk had never led to Gil having the Other shoved into his head. (Being kidnapped, on occasion, but not to have his mind replaced.) But the comparison was good enough. He nodded._ _

__“She told us who she was, and my father decided to put her in the Beacon Engine immediately.”_ _

__Beacon Engine—“That’s the thing that put the Other in her?”_ _

__“Yes, but not that time. Anevka—” Tarvek stopped, then continued. “Anevka’s ghost killed him before he could.”_ _

__Huh. Gil wondered which part of that sentence Tarvek was upset by._ _

__“She wanted me to copy A—Miss Heterodyne’s voice for her to use, so that she could command the geisterdamen and revenants. The geisterdamen only barely trusted my father, and they didn’t like either of us, so we didn’t know what they’d do with him dead.”_ _

__What had—ah, Anevka had been a clank, which became the Other, and the Baron had her destroyed. That was why Gil hadn’t heard anything else about her._ _

__Tarvek unfolded his arms, and shifted like he was thinking about standing up. “Anevka… didn’t like to keep experiments around, so I replicated it imperfectly and convinced her to test it on Lady Vrin before doing anything else.”_ _

___Didn’t like to keep experiments around._ There was really only one way to get rid of an experiment when that experiment was a _person_. Anevka was _lucky_ the Other had taken over her body before Gil could get to her. And Tarvek had accused Gil of making _truth serums_ sound pretty…._ _

__…And Tarvek was still talking. “It affected Vrin but didn’t control her, so Anevka had Miss Heterodyne put in a cell until the effect of her voice could be replicated fully.”_ _

__So—Tarvek had probably saved Agatha’s life, then. If he was being honest… and Gil would be able to ask Agatha what had happened eventually, so Tarvek would be smart enough not to lie _much_ , at least. He hadn’t said much that Agatha wouldn’t be able to confirm, except that Anevka would have killed her. Maybe that Anevka had tested Agatha’s voice, but at least Agatha would know if they’d disappeared long enough to test it…._ _

__Gil still really wanted to punch Tarvek for not just getting Agatha _out_ , but it did seem like it hadn’t been his _idea_ to hurt her. He’d just been too caught up in protecting himself to protect her effectively. “You said you tried to get her out.”_ _

__“I sent Tinka. She was supposed to show Miss Heterodyne the way out, but the geisterdamen caught up to them somehow, and took her back to the Beacon Engine. Lucrezia was already there by the time I caught up to them.”_ _

__How convenient that Tarvek didn’t know what had happened. And—“I thought the muse you had was _Moxana_.”_ _

__“I had Tinka first.” Tarvek was scowling, like it was _wrong_ for Gil to be skeptical that he somehow had two working Muses. “I studied her to build Anevka’s puppet clank. She brought Moxana to me, so I thought she would be able to take Miss Heterodyne back to the circus.”_ _

__“You’re telling me you _studied_ a Muse, and then she _brought you another_.” The fates of the Muses were well known in general, if not for each individual. Finding one working Muse was unlikely enough, the idea that one would bring him a second…._ _

__Tarvek bristled. “I only looked at her! I didn’t… my father took her apart, later, but I got her… mostly back together. _I didn’t hurt her_.”_ _

__That was… more believable than it should be. The _words_ were unlikely, but—Tarvek meant it. Gil had enough practice recognizing when Tarvek was hiding something, and he wasn’t. And this wasn’t the sort of thing that he could easily be wrong about or have forgotten part of. Gil sighed. “Okay. So then what?”_ _

__Tarvek’s eyes slid away and he shrugged, staring at the wall. “Then Lucrezia was there. She fixed the Beacon Engine so it would work better. I was trying to learn how it worked so I could undo it, but—”_ _

__But the Baron had arrived, and Agatha had turned herself in, and Tarvek had gotten himself shot and captured. And then passed on everything he knew, which would have still been helpful if the Baron had been willing to believe a word of it. It wasn’t precisely being _forced_ to help Lucrezia, but it wasn’t exactly being her willing slave, either._ _

__The Baron would only care about the first part. Gil sighed. “I see.”_ _

__Tarvek glared at the wall like it had offended him, and didn’t say anything._ _

__The door clicked, loud in the silence, and Gil turned automatically. He couldn’t really get in _trouble_ for being here, in theory the Castle was sort of his and he could go wherever he wanted, but it would be hard to keep it from getting back to—_ _

__—oh. It was the Baron. Gil tried to stand straight, and only felt like it was too exaggerated. “…Father.”_ _

__The Baron was frowning; angry, but not the angriest he had ever been. “Gilgamesh. I told you not to come here.”_ _

__Technically he’d said he wouldn’t tell Gil where Tarvek was. Why he wouldn’t had been clear enough. Gil made sure not to stare at the ground. “Yes Father.”_ _

__“And yet you did anyway.” The Baron was still frowning, framed in the doorway that was only barely large enough for him. “I would like an explanation.”_ _

__Gil wanted to glare back. He kept his face blank instead. “I wanted to know what happened. You said Sturmvoraus was talking to everyone.”_ _

__“And do you, now?”_ _

__“I know more.”_ _

__“Didn’t you ask Miss Heterodyne?” Tarvek asked._ _

__The Baron turned to frown at Tarvek, so Gil turned too. “No. I will.” Even if the Baron would probably try to keep Gil away from her, too. He had even less reason for that._ _

__“Why not?” Tarvek’s tone was sharp, alarmed._ _

__“She’s—she’s not out, yet. She’s still possessed.” Gil’s tongue stumbled over the words, but what had Tarvek expected?_ _

__Tarvek was on his feet like the bed had stabbed him, glaring at the Baron. “Why is she still possessed? I _told_ you how to fix it!”_ _

__“Be silent, Sturmvoraus,” the Baron growled, stepping into the room. Gil took a step away._ _

__“It shouldn’t have taken you _two weeks_ to fix her!” Tarvek yelled, spark in his voice, like he hadn’t even heard the Baron, like he was only talking to a minion of his own. “What have you been _doing_?”_ _

__The Baron shoved Tarvek against the wall before Gil could think of a way to respond. “I will not tolerate _insolence_ from a boy who _caused this problem_.”_ _

__Tarvek acted as if he didn’t even notice that his feet were now in the air. Angry; obviously fuguing. That had come on fast; Agatha was important to him, then. “Then fix her! We all know you can!”_ _

__“He’s fuguing,” Gil blurted, before the Baron could retaliate. “And the way he was talking—I don’t think he’s very rational about her, Father.” It was the closest he could get to _don’t hurt him for this_ that might have any effect._ _

__The Baron looked at him, which might mean he’d listen or might mean Gil was about to be roared at too for interrupting with something so obvious. But the Baron smiled slightly, with an equally slight laugh, set Tarvek down and stepped away. “She does seem to have that effect, doesn’t she.”_ _

__Well wasn’t _that_ an obvious hint. Gil kept eye contact, and hoped he wasn’t blushing. “…She does.”_ _

__The Baron moved away from Tarvek, and Tarvek must have finally acquired a sense of self preservation, because he stayed quiet where the Baron had set him. The Baron moved back toward the door, sparing Gil and Tarvek a glance each as he left. “Come, Gilgamesh.”_ _

__Gil glanced over, but Tarvek was still glaring at the Baron. It was just as well; he had no idea what he’d have done if Tarvek had been looking. “Yes Father.” He followed, out of Tarvek’s cell and down the hall, only pausing to put the room’s control back on the wall._ _

__They didn’t stop until they reached the small hangar that served the ship’s employees traveling between it and the main Castle. The Baron stopped by the small flyer he must have taken over; the same type as Gil had used. “I do not want to see you here again.”_ _

__“I wasn’t planning to come back.” He was tempted—there were a lot of details Tarvek hadn’t gotten to, but the original plan had been to get all the information he wanted in one visit. And Gil was pretty sure he’d gotten the most important points. Regardless, since he’d been caught he couldn’t come back for several months, at least, and by then Agatha should be free and he could just ask her._ _

__The Baron frowned like he didn’t believe Gil, but turned away to climb into the flyer without saying anything more on the subject. “Return the flyer you took to its place. And see that you do the maintenance checks for it yourself. The mechanics have enough to do.”_ _

__That had been Gil’s plan anyway. Making anyone else do extra work was a guarantee he’d be caught, and he didn’t mind working on flyers. “Yes Father.”_ _

__“Good.” The Baron frowned down from the flyer. “And do not _ever_ go looking for the Heterodyne girl.”_ _

__Gil had considered it, but found nothing that could hint at her location. There was paperwork on Tarvek; there was none about Agatha. “Yes, Father.”_ _

__The Baron turned away to start the flyer, and Gil stepped back. The flyer started, not quite too loud to drown out conversation, but the Baron continued ignoring Gil anyway. That was clear enough, so Gil walked around the flyer and toward the corner he’d left his in the shadows of. He hung up the infrared goggles on the way._ _

__He couldn’t find Agatha, and he couldn’t get to Tarvek. But Agatha should be free soon; Tarvek was obviously underestimating the Baron’s caution, but a few weeks wouldn’t turn into years, at least. Gil would just have to… find things to occupy himself with, he supposed._ _

__It was a shame Zoing wasn’t good at sneaking, Gil could send Tarvek a book or something. But… Punch and Judy would be safely revived in another month. Maybe he could ask Zoing if he’d mind having another friend around…. Hopefully Tarvek would be out then too, but Gil wasn’t willing to count on it. And maybe if he had a friend that could get around unnoticed, he could find things out without having to sneak around himself…._ _


End file.
